Salon #1 – Vicki Noble and Letecia Layson

Presentation title: In Praise of Genevieve Vaughan & the Maternal Gift Economy

Genevieve Vaughan has been a major influence in my life. Her philosophical concept and implementation of the Maternal Gift Economy has the most far-reaching ramifications, linking to physical anthropology and leading to a deeper understanding of human evolution. Her articulation of the significance of the original mother-infant unit and the consequences of their particular communication process is original and profound. The gift of nurture and the gift of language go back to the beginnings of our human evolution; the Maternal Gift Economy (which already actively exists in the background) offers the single most cogent alternative to the current planetary crisis of global patriarchal capitalism. Using the pioneering work of feminist anthropologist Nancy Makepeace Tanner as well as that of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas and her exposition of Old European Goddess civilizations, I will show why restoring mothering and being mothered, as Gen puts it, must once again be brought into the foreground of our discussions and given centrality in all the current thinking about how to survive this urgent planetary crisis.

Vicki Noble is a feminist writer, teacher, and independent scholar, co-creator of the round feminist Motherpeace Tarot Cards and author of Motherpeace: A Way to the Goddess; Shakti Woman: Feeling Our Fire, Healing Our World, and The Double Goddess: Women Sharing Power. Her books are published in numerous languages and for decades she has traveled and taught internationally with a focus on women’s history and Goddess spirituality. She has been active in the international Matriarchal Studies and Maternal Gift Economy movements. At home in Santa Cruz, California, she is a professional astrologer, as well as facilitating private intensive tutorials and Motherpeace certification courses.

More information @ www.vickinoble.com